The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-24
Carlyle's Ghost.

Seldom can there be seen in any decent
street in London suburb a house so dingy,
dilapidated and squalid-looking as this. All
the lower window panes have been shat
tered 10y stone-throwing apparently and
the broken glass is lying on the dirty sills
and on the rubbish heaps in the damp area
of the basement. A house agents board half
thrown down, bore torn printed paper an
nouncement, "This House to Let;n the shut
tiers of the rooms were closed, and all very
dirty: the brickwork was diScolored
with rain, and getting loose and broken
the whole aspect of the house was if
it had been deserted for half a century.
| think there is sufficient matter for the
growth of myth or Evolutionary ghost
story concerning Carlyle, in the following
incident which took place on the evening of
this same day in May, 1887, of which |
have been speaking. 1t was getting
dark, and lady who lives in Cheyne row
was coming home. As she passed No. she
saw group of children and young girls
standing before it, in the roadway, looking
up at the house and speaking in eager whis-
pers. She knew one of the girls and asked
her what was the matter-what they were
looking at. The girl replied with hesita-
ton:
"Oh! ma'am, we are waiting to see the
ghost"
Indeed! Where is there ghost?"
The other girls came close to her, and they
pointed and nodded their heads gravely at
the empty house of the Carlyles.
Have any of you seen this ghost" asked
the lady, with much interest in the matter
mo, ma'am. We haven't seen it, but my
sister Polly was told that Mrs. Smith at the
shop saw it.
"Who told Pollyg'' asked the lady.
"Aunt Eliza, or leastways, somebody
that heard il from Aunt Eliza y
oh! Then it was Mrs. Smith who saw
the ghostw
"6h, yes. Mrs. Smith, last Friday
evening""
what was the ghost likeF
Then the girls all whispered at once, at
was a tall old man, with white hair, and he
was wrapped in a great white sheet.n
Then they all looked with curious, eager
timidity, up at the broken windows of the
ground floor.
Ibid Mrs. Smith see him there, with the
shutter closed like that!" asked the lady.
There was a pause, and then one of the
girls said:
mo! The shutter must have been open,
and the window, too"
"How do you know that" inquired the
lady.
oned to Mrs. Smith, and she was in great
fright, but she had to stop because he spoke
to herr
''He spoke to her! Do you know what he
saidr,
"Oh, yesl He spoke in in a strange, faint
sort of voice, and said, bring me two
pennorth of tobacco"
The lady did not laugh, but she tried to
dispel the superstitious ideas of the girls, by
saying, ..,,,,
old Barnes, the painter, in his white coat
and apron, He may have been sent into
the house by the owner to do some job
there, and he can't get on with his work
unless he smokes, you know"
They did know; but they did not seem
willing to adopt her commonplace view of
the matter, and she left them still looking
at the broken windows, expecting to see the
ghost.
A ghost that calls for 'two penn'orth Of
tobacco" in the empty house-No. Cheyne
row. A more appropriate burlesque could
not have been invented by the cleveTest Of
our many writers who devote their talents
TO making men and things ridiculous. Car
lyle himself, in the flesh, would have felt
the humor of il and enjoyed it immensely.